Critics on Both Sides of Methyl Bromide Issue Reject Proposal

New restrictions proposed Tuesday to better protect people from methyl bromide do not appear to satisfy growers or environmentalists in Ventura County and are likely to open a new round of contentious debate over the controversial soil fumigant.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation, fulfilling a court order to more tightly regulate the chemical, unveiled new regulations aimed at protecting farm workers, schoolchildren and people living near freshly treated fields in Ventura County and the rest of the state. The measures would expand buffer zones to protect at-risk people and would require better public notification when the fumigant is in use.

Growers familiar with the proposals say the changes are going to make farming strawberries and other crops more difficult. Methyl bromide must be phased out for most agricultural uses by 2005. According to an international treaty, manufacturers must cut worldwide production of methyl bromide by 50% next year and 70% in 2003.

“It’s going to hurt your ability to farm and drive up the cost of production. It will make people use less of their land and it could drive up the cost of the products we are growing,” said David Murray, division manager of Watsonville-based Coastal Berry Co., which grows strawberries on 340 acres in Oxnard.

Many crops in Ventura County require enormous quantities of methyl bromide. In 1998, about 1.7 million pounds of the pesticide were applied to strawberries, citrus and flowers. The county typically ranks first or second in California for use of the fumigant, according to the state pesticide department.

Methyl bromide is used to eliminate insects, mites and rodents and to kill weeds before planting. Typically, it is injected into soil and covered with tarps. While highly effective against pests, it is poisonous to humans and contributes to the disintegration of the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

“The primary impact for folks in Ventura County is they’ll have more information on applications of methyl bromide. It means more protection for schools and certain sites,” said state pesticide department Director Paul E. Helliker.

But local environmentalists, who were among the plaintiffs filing a 1998 lawsuit to force state regulators to increase protections, say the measures do not go far enough to protect public health.

Lori Shiraga, program director for the Environmental Defense Center, said the restrictions will not protect people from chemical residues that linger in fields long after spraying ceases.

“This is a step in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go to appropriately protect the entire community,” she said.

Lynda Uvari, a director for Community and Children’s Advocates Against Pesticide Poisoning, said children in Oxnard are vulnerable to pesticides on the playground, particularly at schools such as Rio Mesa High that are near strawberry fields. Oxnard school officials and environmentalists have clashed over potential pesticide exposures students may face at the proposed Juan Lagunas Soria School, which goes before a local land-use commission today for a decision on land annexation.

“At many of our schools, especially in the Oxnard area, children are exposed to methyl bromide. I don’t believe [these proposed regulations] are protective for kids,” Uvari said.

The proposed regulations call for 100-foot buffers between fields and other properties, although there are exemptions for small crops. Neighbors, including schools, hospitals and homes within 300 feet of the fields, must be notified 48 hours before scheduled fumigation. And farmers must submit work plans to the local agricultural commissioner’s office describing how the fumigation will be done.

Methyl bromide applications around schools would be essentially restricted to weekends, under a provision that prevents spraying within 36 hours before classes begin.

“It just makes it more laborious to use the material. It’s going to be more difficult for the users,” said Susan Johnson, deputy agricultural commissioner for Ventura County. “Some of these notifications are going to be real difficult. It’s simply one more step in the progression of tighter and tighter regulations on this material.”

While the controls are aimed at reducing short-term exposures to the pesticide, Helliker said additional restrictions may be needed to address long-term exposures and to protect workers using methyl bromide in greenhouses and nurseries.

Public hearings on the proposed regulations are scheduled for March in Ontario, Salinas and Fresno. Final rules must be in place by June 1, the court-appointed date.

* FARMING

Critics reacted sharply to the proposed rules governing toxic pest killer methyl bromide. A3